Orchid of the Week: Brassia Arcuigera

It’s baaaaaaaack…Orchid of the Week! Sorry for my lameness in skipping these posts for the past few weeks. This Sunday is my favorite holiday: Halloween. So this week I’ve chosen a spooky orchid, the Brassia arcuigera. Why Brassia? This type of orchid is also known as the Spider Orchid…and I’m terrified of spiders. Totally appropriate for a Halloween weekend post. 🙂

Brassia orchids are found in South Florida, the West Indies, and tropical America. These orchids are pollinated by female spider-hunting wasps—who knew such a thing existed??

Photo credit: klehmgrowers.com

I can’t even bring myself to search for an image of a spider to post here for comparison’s sake, because I’m so arachnophobic that I can’t even look at photos of the suckers. So you’ll just have to use your imagination on this one. But I think it’s pretty obvious why this orchid has the spidery nickname: take a look at those long, spindly “legs”! At least they’re not furry *shudders violently*.

Photo credit: Quimbaya, Flickr

I’m going to have to end this post soon, because looking at so many photos of spidery flowers is actually starting to make my skin crawl just a bit, despite my love for orchids. Here’s one last image:

Photo credit: The Black Azar, Flickr

Have a happy and safe Halloween weekend, everyone!!